I have a D70, hardly used it. Then i upgraded to a D700 when I had kids and loved using it! I love the pictures that come out of that thing. I have lenses, cases, everything for this thing.

Lately, 12 months, I have not taken it anywhere. When I do go somewhere I take picture with my iPhone, which is nowhere close to the quality I got from my D7000

The problem is lugging a SLR with me with 2 kids and a wife !! Last thing I want is to drop it, damage it so it stays home. I always wish I had taken it ... to capture moments but it always stops at the thought.

So my question to you experts is ... what to do?

1. Sell the D70 and D7000?

2. Replace with another compact SLR? Which one? Something which would give as good quality or close to it?

3. Replace with S100 or alternative?

Thanks in advance!!

I'm glad you realised your approach is short sighted and selfish: what photos will you leave your children for the future? Take it like this: imagine in 30 years from now, what the TV as we know it today may look like? It might be across the wall with some crazy resolution for today standards. And imagine them looking through old family "album" filled with mediocre photos today camera-phones take. And then, imagine yourself sitting among your grown up children (and their children) biting your lips and regretting for being nothing but lazy to lug (at time) decent picture taking machine..

That has been at the back of my mind since my kids were born: perhaps I embraced digital too soon as those 1280x1024 photos from 1999 don't look that great today. Should I have stayed with film for a tad longer (and I could scan today at some 6MP equivalent or more)? Either way, can't go back and at least I realised this early in digital times when trying to print bit larger what those cameras were good for.

Small kids and stuff to take with are already a burden so "lugging" just another thing or two makes almost no difference. At that time, I went with "bridge" camera and then replaced it with DSLR with superzoom, carried in sling bag that could accommodate it. Initially I went with 18-200 (Sigma and then Tamron) but then realised they were never that far (actually they were way to close) and these were very inconsistent with results plus did not need reach, so I settled with 18-105VR. It's decent on my camera, inexpensive enough to get bumped around. When kids "must have" stuff got reduced, I started carrying smallish bag which barely can hold 11-18/18-105/SB600 and a body. Bare minimum but enough to take along with he family. And I take family photos, they matter to me.

Because you never know when you may need 1/2000 sec shutter speed at the unexpected moment. And those moments are priceless (and very, very regretful if not captured properly - the way you want them and at the right time).